The Permanent Address of Your Joy (A Short Story)

By

Rameshwar Yadav

Rohan had always believed that happiness came from the things he could see and touch. A new phone, a better job, praise from people—these were the places where he kept his joy, as if storing valuables in temporary rented rooms. Whenever life went well, his heart danced. But whenever the situation changed, his joy packed up and left without notice.

One morning, things fell apart at once.

The company he worked for downsized, and his position was cut. His savings were small, loan payments were big, and his friends who once claimed they were “always there” suddenly became silent. Even his new bike—something he had saved for months to buy—broke down on the same afternoon. Sitting alone on a bench outside the repair shop, Rohan felt as if all the “addresses” where he had stored his happiness were shutting their doors in his face.

That evening, he visited his uncle, a quiet man who had seen many of life’s storms. Rohan poured out everything—his frustration, fear, and sense of failure.

His uncle listened patiently, then said, “Rohan, the problem is not that these things changed. The problem is that you built your joy on things that had to change.” He paused, poured tea into two cups, and continued, “You were sending your happiness to temporary addresses.”

Rohan frowned. “Temporary addresses?”

“Yes,” his uncle nodded. “The world, circumstances, people—even your own emotions—keep changing. They are like rented rooms. You stay there for a while, and then one day you must leave. But God… God is the permanent address of your joy. He doesn’t change. His love doesn’t expire. His promises don’t break.”

The words sank deep into Rohan’s tired heart.

That night he went home, opened his old Bible, and read verses he had ignored for years. He found words that felt stronger than the shifting events of life: “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” It wasn’t the joy from things, but joy in God—unchanging, steady, anchored.

Slowly, Rohan began to rebuild—this time differently.

His job hunt continued, but he didn’t wake up crushed every morning. His bike still needed repairs, but he wasn’t angry at the world. Even when friends didn’t call back, he didn’t feel abandoned.

He realized something new:

Happiness based on circumstances rises and falls like waves, but joy rooted in God stands firm like a lighthouse.

Months later, when he finally found a new job, he thanked God—yet he didn’t depend on the job for his joy. When good days came, he celebrated. When hard days returned, he leaned on God instead of collapsing.

Rohan had finally shifted his joy to the permanent address—the God who never changes.

And from that day on, even when life moved like a storm, his heart remained steady, because his joy lived in a place where storms could not reach.